A universal integrated circuit card (UICC) is a smart card designed for use in mobile terminals. In a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, the UICC contains a subscriber identity module or subscriber identification module (SIM) application, in a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UTMS) or a Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) network a SIM or a universal SIM (U-SIM), and in an LTE network a universal SIM (USIM). In a CDMA2000 network, the UICC contains a Removable User Identity Module (R-UIM). The UICC may come in the form of a removable chip that is insertable in a mobile terminal, it may take the form of a chip that is embedded (eUICC) in the mobile terminal and/or it may take the form of a software based UICC e.g. a virtual UICC (vUICC). A vUICC may be implemented as a virtual SIM application that contains a profile that enables access to a network. For example, a profile may consist of the data, authentication algorithms, cryptographic keys, and/or the like, which makes up a subscription.
Dual SIM mobile terminals are currently very popular. These dual SIM mobile terminals normally have two slots for UICCs (e.g. SIM cards). In the most common type of Dual SIM mobile terminals, the mobile terminals can be attached to two networks, corresponding to the two subscriptions (e.g. one subscription on each SIM card), at the same time, and can “listen” for incoming calls on the two networks simultaneously. However, when the mobile terminal is on a call using one of the two subscriptions, the mobile terminal cannot at the same time “listen” for incoming calls using the other subscription. This is also known as “Dual Standby” (as opposed to “Dual Call). A Dual Standby mobile terminal will typically have one radio while a Dual Call phone has two radios.
In order to use an eUICC in a Dual SIM mobile terminal, it would normally be necessary to embed two eUICCs in the mobile terminal, or in some cases embed one eUICC and include one removable UICC because only one profile can be active in a eUICC at any time. Including more than one UICC and/or eUICC means extra cost (to eUICC and/or UICC reader), and also added complexity for the mobile terminals user, since the user has to understand that only one subscription from each eUICC can be active at any time.